Commute

The toll for motor vehicles and motor cycles to cross the bridge is £1. A discount is available by purchasing a Crossing Card. Coins are accepted at the barriers (£2, £1, 50p, 20p, 10p only - no change given). Change can be given at the Toll Booths at either side of the bridge. Card payments are accepted at the toll booths only - please park and pay.

For people with a 'BS' postcode in receipt of the higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance or the enhanced rate mobility component of the Personal Independence Payment, a concessionary card with with unlimited crossings over a 12-month period is available for £10 on production of the relevant certification.

There is no charge for pedestrians, cyclists or horses. If you would like to ride across the bridge, please follow the cycle lane signs which will direct you around the toll barriers and back onto the roadway. You must dismount if you wish to cross using the pedestrian footway. The toll is applicable to motorcyclists.

The bridge has a weight limit of 4 tons gross weight or two and a half tons axle weight. There is a weighbridge in the road on both approaches to the bridge. If your vehicle is too heavy, the barriers will lock, preventing you from crossing. Please follow the instructions given by the toll attendants.

The toll barriers can accomodate a maximum vehicle width of 2.4 metres.

Why is there a toll?

The Clifton Suspension Bridge has always been a toll bridge.

In 1754, Bristol Merchant William Vick left £1,000 in his will to build a bridge across the River Avon, ‘toll free and made all of stone. By 1829, Vick’s investment had grown to £8,000.

The Society of Merchant Venturers (Bristol’s Chamber of Commerce) knew that more money would be needed to complete the build and maintain the bridge so they applied to Parliament to amend the terms of the will, enabling the building of a toll bridge. The Act was granted on 29th May 1830.

Today, the bridge is maintained by the Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust – a non profit making charity established by an Act of Parliament in 1952 (Registered Charity 205658) and headed by a panel of twelve unpaid Trustees.

The Trust receives no financial assistance from central Government, Bristol City Council or North Somerset Council and all maintenance and operating costs must be covered by the toll.

The Bridge is a Grade 1 listed structure which still has around 99% of its original parts. When maintenance work takes place, care must be taken to replace parts like for like.

The Bridge is designed to be flexible, which means that many of its components are constantly in motion. The structure is monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to detect any damage caused by wear and tear, overweight vehicles or extreme weather.

There is an ongoing schedule of maintenance work which keeps the bridge safe and open to the public. Some of the work that has been recently completed includes:

An annual bridge inspection by specialist consultants

Replacing 1,300 bolts beneath the bridge deck

Installing monitoring equipment to report on the movement of tower saddles

Inspection and refurbishment of bridge hangers to ensure safe and even loading

Cleaning and refurbishing the stonework of both abutments and towers

Stripping and repainting the cross girders beneath the bridge

Adding new gearing to the maintenance gantry

The Clifton Suspension Bridge Act allows for a toll for pedestrians, cyclists and animals. This 5 pence toll is not currently levied, and there are no plans to do so. By paying to cross in a vehicle, you are helping to keep the 150 year old ‘icon of Bristol’ open to the public. Thank you for your support!